India receives first shipment of US medical aid | Scientist

A military transport plane left California and arrived in New Delhi with more than 400 oxygen cylinders, medical equipment and nearly 1 million rapid tests for coronavirus.

On Friday, India set a new world record of 385,000 new cases in the past 24 hours and nearly 3,500 deaths.

Several countries launched a major international aid operation and promised help.

The US help came as a result of negotiations that took place this week between US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

“The United States is providing transfers of more than $ 100 million to provide urgent assistance in the coming days to our partners in India,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Thursday.

US officials said the special flights, which will also carry equipment donated by companies and individuals, will continue next week.

More than 40 countries are committed

Japan announced Friday that it will also contribute to international efforts to aid India and plans to send 300 oxygen concentrators and 300 respirators.

“Japan is with India, our friend and partner, in their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic through this additional emergency assistance,” the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Indian Foreign Minister Harsh Vardan Shringla announced Thursday that more than 40 countries have pledged to send medical aid, including oxygen.

In total, aid pledges include approximately 550 oxygen production facilities, over 4,000 oxygen centers, 10,000 oxygen cylinders and 17 refrigerated tank trucks.

The minister added that hundreds of thousands of doses of vaccines and basic components were sent to produce vaccines and medicines.

“It is an unprecedented situation,” said Shingla.

On Friday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin announced that “since April, China has exported to India more than 26,000 respirators and oxygen concentrators, more than 15,000 medical monitoring equipment and nearly 3,800 tons of medical supplies and medicines.”

India has recorded nearly 18.5 million cases of Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic, Including more than six million in the month of April alone. More than 200,000 people have died, but many experts believe so The actual number is much higher.

On Saturday, the Indian government begins Vaccination campaign for all adults over the age of 18, about 600 million people.

However, several states have warned that they do not have sufficient stock and that the start of the campaign is threatened by administrative disputes, price confusion and technical problems with the government’s digital vaccination platform.

In total, India has so far provided about 150 million vaccines – only 11.5% of the country’s 1.3 billion people – and 25 million have received the two doses.

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